1974 Albums

In early 1974, Rick Wakeman took a break with Yes to complete the even more ambitious Journey To The Centre Of The Earth with the London Symphony Orchestra. Recorded live at the Royal Festival Hall on January 18th, 1974 with full choir, narrator David Hemmings and Wakeman's own English Rock Ensemble, his interpretation of Jules Verne's classic tale had little to do with prog rock, let alone rock music. That hardly mattered: By the time the keyboardist announced his departure from Yes, the album was a UK No. 1 and US No. 3, and even earned himself a Grammy Award nomination.

With the Theusz Hamtaahk trilogy complete, Christian Vander here offers the second part of a new trilogy, Köhntarkösz. Once again filled with Magma's dramatic music, the album Köhntarkösz is mostly comprised of the two parts of its title track. "Part One" is built around a relatively simple refrain, pounded into several mutations over the course of the album side. Much of Magma's sonic enormity from the previous record is replaced with sparser musical arrangements and a great use of space.